"Stand By Me!"

Just 'cause everybody needs to see/hear this.

Everybody needs somebody to stand by them.  You won't find that somebody with a new Pope or some invisible giant in the sky...look to the person next to you.

Talk to you soon

Atlas "2-Gun Western" - Tuesday is new/old comic book day!

Getcher dimes and head on down to the drug store, it's comic book day, kids!!!

Yup, there was a time (just before my time) when for a pocket full of dimes, you could hit the newsstand and buy up ALL kinds of four color goodness!!  For $3 you could pick up 30, count 'em 30 comics (I came along just at the end of the 12 cent era and through the all too brief 15 cent era :-[ )of every description!!  Super-hero, western, romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, funny animal...you name it!!!

That of course wasn't feasible in the economy of the depression and war years, but by the mid 50's on through the late 60's, SOME kids allowance surely amounted to that!

And oooooooooooooooooooooh the treasure you could find in almost ANY genre!!  Case in point, this little gem from Atlas comics in 1956...issue 4? of "2-Gun Western"!

Don't run a-skeered from a little ol' western comic, kiddoes...thar's GOLD in them thar hills!

Even in the days afore the Mighty Marvel banner, Stan Lee was billing himself as the sole writer...and I suppose as always, in the Marvel Manner, he was.  A glorious cover by now forgotten Joe Maneely and a very spry and emotive 1st story drawn by another relatively forgotten but very, very admirable Chuck Miller prod that thin dime outen your hand...

...and then the real fun begins.  Short little 3, 4 and 5 page parables set in the old west and graced with the creative hands of some of comic-doms soon to be giants.

A stalwart of the Mighty Marvel Bullpen, Joltin' Joe Sinnott!!!  p.s. Joe's still around and hard at work at his drawing board.  You can even "like" him and watch weekly videos he makes with his granddaughter here!

You'll be glad you did.

A glorious western turn from my new favorite from my reviews of "Mad:  THE COMIC BOOK!"  John Severin!

Pre-Spider-Man and Doctor Strange...the legendary...the giant amongst men...Steve Ditko.

And a real turn from what I think is his best era, the recently departed "illustrator" Gene Colon!

Some real pre-Marvel Marvelousness that had to be seen to be believed.  

And it didn't even cost you the $3 you would have spent on a new comic.

Tuesdays are awesome!

Talk to you soon!

Daylight Saving Time Rebellion! - Uncle Jeffy's Sketchbook

Our semi annual participation in yet ANOTHER out-moded and archaic concept/tradition!

Celebrating an early 20th century law (which actually made more sense in the 18th and 19th) that has NO bearing on the time I'm living in at all.

I didn't plant any soy beans today.

My electric bill remained the same.

Happy stuck in the mud day everyone.  :)

Talk to you soon.

Irish as a Rainbow

Jest checking to see if I can still color.

Or colour.

:)

Talk to you soon.

Happy Birthday Townes - Too Soon Gone!

 Today would have been the 69th birthday for Townes Van Zandt.  A man about whom the great Steve Earl once said, "Townes Van Zandt is the greatest songwriter in the world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and tell him so!".

69 is not that old for a hard core troubadour, singer and forger of songs to be.  Were he still with us, he would probably be writing the best songs of his career and still traveling and dazzling us with them.

Years of substance abuse took it's toll on his health though, and he fluttered off this mortal coil in 1994 at the RIPE young age of 52.

Am I sad or jealous...I don't know.  

Sing us one Townes, show us how you really feel.  This is the first song he ever wrote.

Guy Clark heard that a a couple others he friend had written and figured that that was all something worth doing.  And then Guy became a great song writer too.  

This, the admiration of friend Steve and a thousand others who were touched by his music and who played his stuff at their weddings is his legacy.

We miss ya Townes.

Talk to you soon.